Santa Fe Wheat
Santa Fe Brewing Company

Pleasant opening. Nothing really stands out during the first half. It's a bit thin, and gets watery toward the end. ca. 2008

 

 

 

 

Quite possibly one of the worst Hefes that I have had. That being said, this is New Mexico and I am betting that the good folks at Santa Fe desired another session, "desert-mower", its hot as f#$k out here and I need a beer kindof beer. Especially since their Freestyle Pilsner is pretty serious business, not the kindof Pilsner for the "desert-mowing" types. So, that being said, this Hefe is a light ale that should be appropriately termed summer ale or a derivative of that.

Eye Candy: Not much to look at here. From what I remember, Natural Light may have a tad bit more color to it (my memory is hazy, Natty Light hazy). Clarity is clear, no typical Hefe haze, an occasional triplet of rising CO deuce. Brilliant white bubbly head that vanishes quickly. What remains appears to be flat and lifeless. Meh.

The Nose Knows: faint clove, citric lemon, baled straw, light wheat.

Tongueland: Light, light, light. Upfront citric lemon, faint muddled clove middle, fresh cut grass, finish is reminiscent of gumballs.

Bender Factor: Sit me outside in July with a case of these on ice- I'm not complaining and neither should you ;) I gave this style appropriate marks for a Hefe, but I WOULD purchase this again.

[Appearance]: Light golden/straw color, slighly hazy, some bubbles, small head, not much lacing.
[Smell]: Banana, some cloves, bready wheat and yeast. Smell more like a Hefeweizen than American Wheat.
[Taste]: Bready wheat up front, mild banana/clove/spice, yeasty at the end.
[Mouthfeel/Finish]: Medium bodied, carbonation is mild, weird funky aftertaste.
[Drinkability]: I'm not really too impressed with this one, but it's fair.

Enjoyed from the tap at The Shed and Harry's Roadhouse; both in Santa Fe.

Appearance - looks like a nice, cloudy hefe with a pretty billowy head.

Smell - not as much banana and cloves as I normally like, but it was served a little too cold.

Taste - delightful and surprising. More citrus than bananas, but I still found it enjoyable.

Mouthfeel - fairly creamy

Drinkability - in the hot, NM sun I could drink a large number of these refreshing brews. A nice interpretation of the style.

This is a cloudy orange-tan beer with a slight head. Lots of wheat malt in the nose, but little else--certainly little yeast character. Fruitiness comes through much better upon taste--nice banana character. Phenols are quite restrained, but it is nice and tart and refreshing.

A good thirst-quencher of a beer, if nothing too special.

Appearance: Lightly hazy, yellow body with a frothy, white head.

Smell: Very faint nose with only small notes of malted wheat, and even lesser touches of banana and spice.

Taste: Lightly tangy malted wheat taste with a fair amount of sweetness gives way to flavors of banana cream pie filling, light lemon, and even lighter spice. Subtly spicy, lightly bitter hops. A few more hints of banana cream, though more cream than banana and a dull, earthy spice accent. Smooth, drying finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-low carbonation.

Drinkability: Reasonably decent, but it comes up waaay short in the nose. I was going to say it's a treat to beat the Santa Fe heat, but at 65°F it's cooler there than it is in Georgia. So, I guess it's a decent wheat to indulge in on a fairly pleasant, lightly breezy Wednesday afternoon.

Feb 3, 2009
Hazy Yellow Pour, 2 finger head. smells bready. Taste is kinda acidic, like pineapple, and also has a bit of a tart apple taste to it. Little to much of the acidic fruits for me. it finishes really nice though. But up front is just too overpowering. And has no real value in my fridge. It doesn't do anything for me whatsoever. The more I drink this the more I hate it...that tartness is just too much

12 oz. bottle.

Pours with a huge lacy white head. Very cloudy mustard yellow color. Smells very lemony, sweet, allspice. Medium body, medium carbonation. Tastes of banana and coriander. Some bubblegum, sweet throughout, also some cloves and white wine presence. Finishes quite tart, tangy and lemony.

Lots of foam from a hard pour lightly cloudy amber colored ale with an extremely healthy head.

Smell is all Belgian Witbier, wonder if they used the wrong yeast? Sweet and spicy with lots of powdery yeast aroma and orange scent. Toasted cracker wheat malt scent under all that spice and lots of coriander, though the bottle mentions no spices used.

The taste starts out sweet and spicy with a noticeable citrus flavor in the aftertaste. Powdery Belgian yeast flavor and a decent bitter note in the middle. Orange flavor is quite strong here and the beer taste just as spicy as it smells.

Mouthfeel is good.

A surprise, keep thinking they put the wrong beer in the bottle. This is a quite passable Belgian Witbier, better than most American made versions for sure. A recommended beer.

Off the tap this hometown brew was a slightly pale, straw yellow with a fluffy white head. The retention was acceptable and it slowly became a soapy collar that laced rather well. The aroma was slightly musty grain, wet wheat and some citrus and apple hints. The flavors were at first sip the grainy malt and wheat followed soon by citrus notes, lemon and orange. A little husky and a little sweet. The mouthfeel was average but the lower carbonation does lend this one to being quite sessionable. Not a great beer but a very good one to share with friends over a meal.

Pours a translucent golden with a slight orange tinge. The head is medium sized, and pure white in color. Smell is of bananas and cloves. Taste is malty, refreshing, with a good bitterness from the hops. Flavors of ripe bananas, pear, and a hint of rye bread. Quite spicy as well. Mouthfeel is smooth and carbonation levels are good. Quite drinkable, this would make an excellent hot summer day beer.

Hazy, white gold in hue with some tawny influences, the color is oddly sickly looking. I never knew a beer could look ghostly and dead. White head, fluffy, one finger tall at the apex; respectable head retention, the bubbles steadily fell to a soapy collar. No lacing. The appearance, overall, is average... at best.

The nose is musty with hints of vanilla, citrus notes too, metallic with soap and fruit. Clearly this is not a Hefeweizen and I'd be hard pressed to call this a good American Wheat Ale. Mild potency, the nose does nothing for me. The more I smell it, the louder the apple notes are which, IMO, really muddles the aromas. I don't find the bouquet inviting.

Musty and wheaty with cloves and fruit; sweetness arrives in the middle and lingers into the aftertaste. The palate is messy. There is one thud of flavor, mostly wheat and mustiness mixed in with some apples, spice, and cloves. I don't find much complexity beyond the aforementioned. Faint acidity appears at the finish with some tartness. While this wheat ale has more character than some I don't think it is very well put together. Sluggish... boring... and unpleasant, IMO.

Medium light in body, low carbonation which hurts the palate; I'd like more bubbles to scrub away the sweetness and spice.

One of the least refreshing wheat ales I've tried. I get the same "baloney spice" taste in this beer as I do in BLVD Zon (which I strongly dislike). I can't say I am a huge fan of Santa Fe and this beer does nothing to change my mind. Passable, at best. Likely I'll never drink this again. I purchased a single 12oz bottle in Omaha.

Pours into my glass a clear straw yellow with a slight tinge of orange. A small fizzy white head appears and then fades just as quickly as it came. Mild active carbonation. Aromas begin with crisp, slightly sweet wheat grains along with light citrus and lemon zest. Mild herbal hops in the background along with a tad bit of yeasty spiciness. Very mellow hefeweizen qualities with a whisper of clove.

First sip brings a crisp, somewhat sweet wheat grain malt upfront that's a bit husky. It flows into a some nice fruity citric flavors along with a clean yeasty spiciness. Laid back notes of banana, clove and light pepper roll across the tongue. It flows down with a touch of herbal hops that bring in a very mild bitterness. Finishes with a lingering sweetness and a grainy aftertaste. This brew is light hefeweizen light...sort of bridging the gap between American pale wheat and hefeweizen.

Mouthfeel is smooth and medium bodied with a solid creaminess and steady carbonation. Goes down well and has more body than most American wheats I encounter, so it gets points there. Overall though, I can't see myself drinking too much of this one. Good to try, but I'd rather seek out a true German hefeweizen anytime. Thanks to kmpitz2 for tossing this one my way.

Acquired via trade from timbro81, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a large white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of a lot of wheat and some lemon along with a little hops and spice.

T: The taste is bready and sweet with flavors of wheat, lemon and spices. There’s a bitter bite that comes in sporadically, but it doesn’t seem like it’s from the light amount of hops. The malt character is on the thin side. The after-taste is sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, mild kick, decent representation of style, to me something seemed off with this beer, it’s not one that I would pick again.

12 oz bottle, no freshness date.

Light straw with a thin white head. No need to pour this into a Weizen glass, a simple pint glass will do.

Aroma is banana and light lemon, maybe some wheat.

Flavor is light lemon and dry wheat.

Finish is off dry.

Forgettable.

12 oz bottle. The brew pours a light golden color with a billowing 3 fingers of head over top that falls to a very thick two fingers of chunky foam over top. The initial pour is very clear and there are tons of bubbles coming out of solution; there is no yeast after the final pour. The aroma is dominated with lemony citrus with a more subdued green apple fruityness and just a hint of a wheat malt base. I'm surprised by the very strong fruit components in this one. Taking a sip, I get a nice healthy wheat base with a nice bit of doughyness and a light huskyness on the finish. The finish is almost a touch raisiny, which is interesting. Mouthfeel is moderate and slightly creamy with a very mild carbonation left after the massive outgasing from the pour. Overall, this one definitely has a bit of character to it. That raisin and dough quality on the finish give me ideas of some special b or cara-munich malt in the beer, but that is just my perception. I like it. It is a wheat beer with something behind it.